


bubble up and (cut right through)

by yee_hawlw



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Time Skip, The Others - Freeform, hydrophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2021-02-01 04:14:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21372463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yee_hawlw/pseuds/yee_hawlw
Summary: "I could teach you how to swim," Bernadetta offers. "If that would make you feel better about going to the ocean.""You know how to swim?""O-oh, yeah," she says. "When we were little, my brother would throw me into the lake on the estate. I had to learn pretty quick."
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/Bernadetta von Varley
Comments: 16
Kudos: 179





	bubble up and (cut right through)

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Edeldetta Town, population me and my friend [**@vakurun**](https://vakurun.tumblr.com/)**** who beta read this for me. I hope you enjoy your stay.

“I can’t believe we’re going to the coast this month!” Dorothea coos. Her hand is a constant pressure on Bernadetta’s shoulder, keeping her firmly seated with the rest of the Black Eagles’ dining table.

Bernadetta chances a glance up at Edelgard. She’s been noticeably pale ever since the Professor announced that they would be traveling to Hyrm territory, on the Imperial coast, for this month’s mission. 

Her eyes are cast down at her food, which she eats begrudgingly. When Caspar had asked, Hubert had answered for his lady, simply saying his liege wasn’t the biggest fan of fish pasta.

“Seeing the ocean again will be filling me with excitement,” Petra says. “I have not been since I arrived at the monastery.”

“Have you ever seen the ocean, Bern?” Dorothea says.

Bernadetta’s head snaps up. “Uh.” She scratches her cheek. “Maybe? I was, um, pretty young. It could have just been a big lake.”

“We’ve all seen water before. What’s the point of seeing one really big water?” Linhardt asks, lazily twirling his fork in his pasta.

“Because there’s just something special about the ocean!” Dorothea says. “It’s so..._ vast_. So vast that no force could ever tame it. The concept of it is just so romantic!”

Edelgard gets even paler at Dorothea's imaginative description. She stands abruptly, pushing her chair back and her food away. "I apologize, my friends, but I must be going," she says. "I'm supposed to meet the professor soon."

Like a blessing from Serios herself, Edelgard cocks her head at Bernadetta, and says, "Would you like to accompany me, Bernadetta?"

"Y-yeah, that'd be great!" She attempts to shoot out of her seat much akin to how Edelgard did, but Dorothea's hand on her shoulder keeps her firmly planted in place. Bernadetta cringes. Geez. Who knew Dorothea was so strong?

Bernadetta wiggles her way out from under Dorothea's grasp. She dives under the table and pops up next to Edelgard on the other side. Her princess looks down at her with a smile.

Edelgard gestures for Bernadetta to follow her out of the dining hall. For a moment, Bernadetta worries that Edelgard is actually taking her to meet with their professor. Oh jeez, is this an intervention about how much time Bernadetta spends in her room? She's _ getting _better-- 

Before that train of thought can continue, Edelgard leads her to an empty section of the gardens.

The imperial princess leans onto a stone railing, looking out over the grounds of Garreg Mach. Bernadetta hesitantly slides up next to her.

"Thank you," Bernadetta says quietly. Edelgard glances over at her with a raised eyebrow. "Uh, t-thanks, for the save back there. I get that she's trying to help, but Dorothea's been a little, ah, overbearing? Lately? About getting me to socialize."

Edelgard chuckles. "Dorothea can be a bit persistent at times, but she's a good friend," she says. "I do wish that I left for entirely heroic reasons, but I must admit, I was getting slightly uncomfortable with the topic at hand."

"Yeah, I'm not that excited about heading to Hyrm territory either," Bernadetta attempts. "I mean, I'm never really happy to go anywhere…"

Edelgard simply hums in response at Bernadetta's attempt to relate. _ Stupid Bernie, _ she scolds herself inside her head. _ Worthless. You've gone and made the princess hate you! _ Her train of thought leads to a guilty twisting in her chest. Edelgard had _told _her not to beat herself up like that.

"Um," Bernadetta says. Edelgard looks back over at her. "I could teach you how to swim? If that would make you feel better about going to the ocean?"

Edelgard quirks an eyebrow at her. "You know how to swim?"

Bernadetta shrinks into her hood. "O-oh, yeah," she says. "When we were little, my brother would throw me into the lake on the estate. I had to learn pretty quick."

Edelgard looks absolutely appalled at the information. Bernadetta giggles nervously and scrunches up even further into her hood. "So, um…?"

The princess blinks. She looks back over the grounds. "I...suppose."

"You suppose?"

Almost like she's steeling herself for an impossible task, Edelgard's grip tightens on the railing. "Yes. I will allow you to teach me how to swim. Shall we start today?"

"Oh! Um-"

At Bernadetta's panicked state, Edelgard smiles and adds, "Shall we start today, _ before _I lose my nerve?"

"I suppose…"

Edelgard giggles at that. She pushes herself up off the railing, extending a hand to Bernadetta. "So? Where are we off to?"

* * *

Bernadetta leads her to the gardens on the east side of the chapel. From there, they take a path that leads down, down, down. Still within the walls of Garreg Mach, but in the slight valley between two peaks of the mountain. There, a crystal clear pool of bright blue water shimmers in the sunlight.

Edelgard's eyes are wide. "I've...never been here before. What is this place?"

"Saint Cichol Spring," Bernadetta says. "I found it on accident. C'mon."

An ancient tree casts shade over two equally ancient stone benches. The one on the left is inscribed with the Crest of Saint Cichol; the other, the Crest of Saint Cethleann. Bernadetta takes a seat on the left one and begins undoing her boots.

Observing the action, the princess shifts her weight uncomfortably. “I suppose that it was rather absent-minded of me, but I didn’t realize that we would be...undressing.”

Bernadetta sets aside her boots and looks up at her princess. “I mean. We’re swimming? You kind of need to undress to swim?”

Bernadetta can see Edelgard’s nerve starting to break in real-time. She quickly backtracks. "I-I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to!" she says. "I just -- I'd hate for you to get your uniform all wet."

Smiling down at her, Edelgard shakes her head. "I don't mind-"

"Oh!" Bernadetta interrupts. "You can have my undershirt! And my leggings aren't as long as yours, but you can have them too if you want."

"Bernadetta, honestly, I don’t intend to take the clothes off your back-" But Bernadetta’s hooded undershirt is already in Edelgard’s face. Edelgard blinks. A bright shade of red begins to burn across her face.

The princess coughs into her fist. “Bernadetta, I...admire your confidence,” she says, hesitantly taking the shirt from her. She looks down to where Bernadetta’s skirt, socks, bandeau, and overshirt are folded on one of the stone benches, then up to Bernadetta’s chest for a half-moment. Her ears go red, too, and she quickly averts her gaze to her shoulder. She narrows her eyes.

The princess stops Bernadetta with a light but purposeful hand on her arm as she tries to walk past her. Her gaze is focused on the many small white scars that mark Bernadetta's skin. 

Edelgard’s voice is quiet. “What are all these from?”

“Oh, um…” Bernadetta swallows down the lump in her throat. She smiles hesitantly and wiggles her fingers. “Bored hands, y’know? Most of the time I don’t even really realize I’m doing it, until I find blood on my clothes the next day. It comes with sitting around and doing nothing a lot, I guess.”

“Bernadetta…” Edelgard runs the pad of her thumb gently over one of the scars just above the bend of her elbow. A shiver runs down Bernadetta’s spine. “You really must be more careful with yourself.”

“Um…” A laugh comes out of her nose as a single, self-conscious puff of air. As it ruffles the top of Edelgard’s hair, Bernadetta realizes that she has grown taller than her princess. She wonders when that happened, then she thinks about how easy it would be to bend down and--

She flushes.

Her blush reaches all the way down to her collarbone, where Edelgard is inspecting more tiny white scars. Edelgard seems to notice her flush. Her ears go red, too, and she pulls away, clearing her throat.

"I apologize, Bernadetta. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable," she says. "Please, turn away for a minute while I change."

Bernadetta shakes herself. She nods quietly and heads over to the pool. 

Dewy grass squishes underneath her bare feet. She hesitantly dips a foot into the pool. It’s comfortably cool on this warm day. Bernadetta takes a few steps back from the edge of the spring, before taking off running and diving into the pool.

Cold water goes up over her knees, shoulders, ears, and eyes. She shuts her eyes and allows herself to float to the bottom of the spring. After her brother had grown bored with throwing her in the lake, Bernadetta actually found solace in simply sitting at the bottom of the lake. Especially during summer nights, when Varley territory grew too hot to sleep comfortably in her chambers.

A shadow is cast through the water over Bernadetta. Her eyes blink open and she sees a vague human silhouette, shadowed by the sun behind them. She pushes up off the bottom of the spring and breaks the surface of the water. 

Edelgard is leaned over the edge of the spring, brows furrowed. Her bows, boots, and shirt have been removed; the last one replaced by Bernadetta’s hooded undershirt. The black fabric is pulled tight around the princess’ defined biceps.

Bernadetta swims over to Edelgard. She folds one of her arms on the grass at her feet and uses the other one to push back her hair. 

There’s an almost fond smile on Edelgard’s face. “You appear to be enjoying yourself already,” she says.

Edelgard’s bright smile feels a bit overwhelming. Bernadetta giggles and hides her face in her elbow for a moment before looking back up at her. She’s still wearing her gloves and socks, Bernadetta notices. She pats the grass between Edelgard’s feet. “Sit?”

Edelgard raises an eyebrow at Bernadetta before taking a seat, folding her legs underneath her and putting her hands in her lap.

“No, wait,” Bernadetta says. She places a hand on the curve of Edelgard’s calf, urging her to untuck her legs. The princess hesitantly allows Bernadetta to guide her right leg into the water, grimacing as her leg slips into the water. Bernadetta lets her fingers slip from her calf into the water. Edelgard places her left leg into the spring all on her own. Bernadetta smiles up at her. “See, that isn’t so bad.”

“Yes, I suppose. It would be rather nice on a warmer day.” Edelgard chuckles nervously. She has her leggings bunched up over the knees, knuckles white.

Bernadetta frowns. She timidly covers one of Edelgard’s hands with her’s. “If-if you want to stop, we can,” she says. “You’ve already done a lot…”

Edelgard huffs out a laugh. “I appreciate the sentiment, Bernadetta, truly, but I don’t think that putting my legs in the water can count as ‘a lot.’ We shall continue.” The princess releases her white-knuckle grip on her own leggings and gives Bernadetta’s hand a squeeze. “...How are we supposed to continue?”

“Um…” Bernadetta thinks for a moment. When Edelgard’s thumb runs over her knuckles, Bernadetta shakes herself. She pushes away from the side of the spring, just so that she isn’t crowding Edelgard. “Maybe we can try getting our heads under the water?”

Edelgard takes a deep breath before nodding. She holds a hand out for Bernadetta to take, settling the other one on Bernadetta’s shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she shuts her eyes tightly and slips into the water. Edelgard gasps, then grimaces as the cool water goes up past her shoulders.

As Edelgard’s feet settle on the bottom of the spring, Bernadetta says, “We can stop if you-”

“No,” Edelgard says. When the princess feels Bernadetta flinch at her forceful tone, she attempts a calming smile. “I apologize, Bernadetta. I am nervous, admittedly, but I will be fine. Please continue.”

Bernadetta frowns. “Okay…” She readjusts her hold on Edelgard. “On three, okay?”

At her princess’ affirming nod, she starts the countdown. After _ one_, they both take a deep breath and Edelgard allows herself to be pulled under the water. The crown of her head is barely submerged before all of Edelgard’s air leaves her lungs in panicked bubbles. Bernadetta’s eyes widen, and she quickly brings them back to the surface.

Edelgard releases her death-grip on Bernadetta’s hand in order to throw her arms around her neck and hide her face in the dip of Bernadetta’s neck.

“Oh, I -- Uh-” Bernadetta feels a blush begin to spread across her face again.

A shuddering breath from Edelgard settles into the dip of Bernadetta’s neck. Edelgard places a hand on Bernadetta’s chest, pushing herself up out of her hiding place. Her ears and cheeks are flushed bright red. 

She clears her throat and averts her gaze. She pushes her hair away from her face. “I apologize, Bernadetta,” she says. “I was a bit...surprised at how cold the water is.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s a bit chilly,” Bernadetta says, scratching the side of her face.

After a moment of silence, Edelgard says, “I believe that I am finished for today. Help me up?”

Bernadetta helps lift Edelgard out of the pool, sitting her back down on the edge with her legs in the water. Edelgard’s hands on her shoulders force her to slot herself between her princess’ knees.

Edelgard smiles down at her, fond and genuine. “I apologize that this may not have produced the results that either of us wanted, but I appreciated the attempt nonetheless,” she says. “You are...a true friend, Bernadetta.”

Something about that stings a little, but Bernadetta isn’t sure why. “Yeah. You’re a....a good friend too, Edelgard.”

Edelgard beams at that. Almost timidly, she sets her forehead against Bernadetta’s and tightens her arms around her shoulders in a loose hug.

Bernadetta’s breath gets caught in her throat. She feels like she’s floundering in the water with nowhere to put her hands. Edelgard is so close…

“Would you like a towel, Lady Edelgard?”

They jump apart.

“_Hubert_?!”

Berndetta is absolutely mortified. “Have -- Have you been here the whole time?!”

**Author's Note:**

> And then Hubert was murdered.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr here [**@yee-hawlw**](https://yee-hawlw.tumblr.com/)****. If you have a specific question I'm more likely to answer in a timely manner there??
> 
> Comments really do mean a lot to me!


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